Ratchet-and-pawl actuating mechanism.



L. MASTRANGEL.

RATCHET AND PAWL ACTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-1.1910.

1,268,989. Patented June 11, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

w ------.--fi.

j%witweoaeo:z Z "fi ammo/M07,

L. MASTRANGEL.

RATCHET AND PAWL ACTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1. 19m.

1 268,99 g Patented June 11, 1918.

3 SHEETS SHEET 2.

L. IVIASTRANGEL.

RATCHET AND PAWL ACTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- I, I9l0.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- Patented June 11, 1918.

LOUIS IdfifiTRABTGEL, 035 WEST HOBQKEN', NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOE T0 HAETFGRD "roan. I

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Louis Masrnanenh, a citizen of the United States, residing in West Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ratchetand-Pawl Actuating Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to TEtQlIGlJ-dfldpawl actuating mechanism. The object of the invention is to provide simple and it cient mechanism for controlling the reverse movements of an element, one of which movements may be against a force and the other of which movements may be responsive thereto. I

The present improvement although useful in many employments is particularly adapted for operating lifting jacks, since it rovides acompact, strong, and lightwei ht jack, one which may be actuated by a re atively short lever and a relatively short lever movement, and the lever pivotal axis may be located near the base of the device, making it well fitted for use as an automobile jack. The present illustration shows I a form of jack adap for use in connection with the automobile.

In this mechanism substantially the same motion of lever is employed for returning the load as for forcing it and substantially the same leverage is present in both situations.

v In my improved device the forcing in some cases, as for instance in a jack, the lifting, is efiected by means of a lever, a

.. pawl and a ratchet, and a gear train. The return, in somecases as for instance in a -a' practicable embodiment jack, lowering, is efiected by means of this same train with the assistance of a suitable device which will control, in proper se uential timing, the lever operated pawl an the dog which holds the ratchet from independent reverse movement responsive. to the load.

In the drawin ing a part of th1s accompanying and formspecification one form of of my invention is illustrated, and who specification of hetters Eatent. Application can hatches i, new. Serial in. season MTCEET--PAWL ACTUATING MECHANISM.

Patented June til, 19th. i

Figure 1 is a side able for automobile in removed.

ig. 2 is a section taken on a plane at about the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Figs. 1 and 2 being about two-thirds of the size of a commercial form of jack which has been mama factored with the capacity of one and onehalf tons.

Figs. 3 and 4 are diagraatic details showing the operation of the parts in a to manner presently to be described; these views Figs. 3 and 4 being the full size of the jack above referred to.

The device shown comprises a casing and standard portion having a foot, as it were, as 5, mounted upon a suitable base, which may be of wood for the purpose of lightness and also to revent its slipping. The standard 1s proyi ed with an operating chamber for receiving the rack-bar 6, which carries the swlveled head 7. Meshing with the rackbar 1s a pinion 8, having fast upon it a gear wheel 9, which meshes with a pinion 10, fast upon one endof a shaft 11, which shaft has fast upon it at the other end a ratchet 12. The ratchet is held from forward rotation responsive to the load by means of a weighed dog 13.

An operating lever 14, is mounted for oscillation upon the shaft 11 and has pivoted to to it for oscillation thereby a pawl 15 for engaging the ratchet wheel. The pawl is held to its work by means of a suitable spring 16.

When it is desired to raise the load the parts above described will be em loyed. The ratchet wheel will be moved y the downward movement of the lever, and the dog will hold the ratchet from reverse movement responsive to the load, during the dwell of the. operating lever, and during its upward or idle stroke. I

- For eecting a controlled return or lowelevation of a jack suitto use, the side plate heering movement responsive to the load the dog and pawl will be successively withas drawn from the path of the movement of the ratchet teeth in timed sequence to the movemenm of the operating lever.

An actuator in the form of a cam lever 17, oscillatable about a pivotal axis 18, is provided for actuating and controlling the dog 13 and pawl 15. The cam lever is moved in one direction by means of a suitable sprin 19. In such movement its cam. face 20 W1 1 engage a lug or pin 21 carried by the dog and raise this out of its ratchet tooth engaging position, that is it will shift the dog to such a position that it will be out of the path of ratchet tooth movement. It will be seen that the forwardly directed faces of the ratchet teeth overhang in such manner that they will engage the nose of the dog. When the device is under load the tendency to reverse rotation of the ratchet wheel will cause the overhang of the teeth to engage the dog in such manner that the strength of the spring 19 will be insulficient to raise the dog out of engagement with the ratchet teeth. When the parts are in the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the cam lever is held in an idle position by means of an eccentric 22, which moves about an axis 23 and can be controlled by means of a hand operating device 24. When the parts are in the full line posltion of Fig. 3, with the eccentric 22 moved out of engagement with the cam lever, and the cam lever'free to move responsive to its spring, and there being a load upon the lifting element, it will be seen that the dog and pawl are respectively in engagement with forwardly facing faces of the ratchet teeth. Upon a movement of the operating lever from the full line position of Fig. 3 to the dotted line position, so that the lever engages its down-stop 25, the pawl will move the ratchet wheel backwardly a sufficient distance to withdraw the overhang of the ratchet tooth from the nose of the dog and permit the dog to be raised from the ratchet by means of the cam lever moving responsive to its spring 19. The ratchet wheel is at this time engaged by the pawl, and the raising of the dog will free the ratchet wheel to move forward responsive to the load. The movement of the operating lever from the full line position in Fig. 3 to the dotted line position will have brought the load upon the operating lever, so that upon the removal of the dog from the path of movement of the ratchet teeth the operating lever will have a tendency to rise and will rise under the control of the operator. As the operating lever rises however, and when it assumes the full line position in Fig. 4 a lug or pin 26 thereon will engage a cam face 27 on the cam lever and move the cam lever against the action of the spring 19 and cause the cam lever to assume such a'position of its came face 20 relative to the lug 21 that the dog will be permitted to drop in, front of the onnacaeee coming ratchet tooth in the rear of the ratchet tooth which it previously engaged. A little before the time the dog is in position to hold the ratchet wheel against forward movement, tht cam face 28 on the cam lever will engage a lug or pin 29 on the pawl and draw this out of its ratchet engaging position. After the pawl has been thus disengaged the ratchet wheel is further slightly rotated by the weight of the load until stopped by the dog. This slight motion of the ratchet wheel moves the tooth thus disengaged out-of the way, so that when the operatin lever has assumed the dotted line position in Fig. 4 and engaged its up-stop 30, the pawl will be held in such a position by the cam lever that upon the reverse movement of the operating lever the pawl will ride past the ratchet toothwhich it previously enga ed and will come in engagement with the orward face of the succeeding ratchet tooth upon the movement of the pawl to the full line position of Fig. 3. The completion of the stroke of the operating lever to its downstop 25 will again release the dog.

It will be seen that the lever movement of the operating lever for efi'ectin the elevation of the lifting element is su stantially similar to the lever movement for permitting the lowering of the lifting element responsive to the load. The leverage is substantially the same in both'instances.

It will be seen that the shaft 11 which is the pivotal axis of the operating lever 14 is located low down in the device. This renders the device illustrated peculiarly adapted for use as a lifting jack for automobiles since the structure is comparatively short, the train of gears gives a strong 1everage and the operator is given sufficient opportunity to use the device to advantage under a car.

Although'll have shown but one form of applying my invention and have shown that form in connection with a jack which is stated to be particularly adapted for use with the automobile it will be understood that I do not purpose limiting myself thereto since the invention is capable of application in many situations which are well within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a ratchet wheel, of a dog, a pawl, the pawl and dog being respectively provided with ratchet-engaging faces, operating means for oscillating the pawl upon the axis of the ratchet wheel, cam lever having faces for engaging the said faces of the dog and pawl, and-means rigidly carried by the said pawl-operating means for oscillating said earn lever.

neeaeee n 2. In a lifting device, the combination with a lifting element embodying a rack, a train of ears embodying a pinion meshing with sai rack, an operating lever, a pawl carried thereby for positively operating said gears to move said liftin element in one direction, a dog mounte independently of said operating lever for controlling the movement of said liftin element in such direction, and a device a apted for engagement by said operating lever and having portions to engage said dog and said pawl in sequence upon the functioning of said operating lever to control the movement of the lifting element in the reverse direction.

3. In a lifting device, the combination with a lifting element, of actuating mechanism, an operating lever, a pawl carried thereby for positively operating said actuating mechanism ment in a lifting direction, a dog normally independent of said operating lever for controlling the movement of the actuating mechanism during the lifting movement of the lifting element, and a device adapted to be functioned by the operation of the lever and having surfaces disposed to alternately engage with said dog and said pawl and govern the operation thereof, whereby said dog will co-act with said' pawl to control said actuating mechanism during the return movement of the lifting element to normal position.

4. A lifting device, the combination of a lifting element, of an operating lover, a pawl carried thereby for positively operating said lifting element in one direct1on, a dog for controlling the movement of the lifting element in such direction, and a device adapted for engagement by said lever and provided with surfaces to render efiective the functioning of said dog and said pawl in sequence to control the movement of the lifting element in the reverse directlon.

5. In a lifting device, the combination with a lifting element, of actuating mechanism, an operating lever, a pawl carried thereby for positively operating said actuating mechanism to move said lifting element in a lifting direction, a dog normally independent of said operating lever for controlling the movement of the actuating mechanism during the lifting movement of the lifting element, and means adapted to be functioned by the operation of the lever to alternately engage with said dog and said pawl and govern the operation thereof, whereby said dog will co-act with said pawl to control said actuatmg mechanism during the return movement of the lifting element to normal position.

6. In a lifting device, the combination with a lifting element embodying a rack, a gear train embodying a pinion meshing to move said lifting elewith said racir, a ratchet for imparting mo tion to said gear train, an actuatin lever, a springpressed pawl carried there y and adapted to engage said ratchet to positively operate said lifting element in one direction, a dog adapted to engage said ratchet and control the operation device in such direction, a cam lever normally independent and having a plurality of cam surfaces adapted for engagement with said dog and said pawl, a spring in engagement with said cam plate and means for actuating said cam plate for positive engagement by said lever, whereby said cam surfaces will engage with said pawl and dog in. sequence upon the operation of the actuating lever to control the movement of the lifting element in the reverse direction.

In a lifting device, the combination with a lifting element, of an o crating means, mechanism carried thereby or positively operating said lifting element in one direction, means independent of said operating means for controlling the movement of the lifting element in such direction and cam mechanism normally independent of said operating means and adapted to engage said operating mechanism and said controlling means under predetermined con ditions, means carried by said operating means arranged to engage said cam mechanism and means for functioning said cam mechanism to efi ect ooiiperative action between said operating means and said cam mechanism, whereby said cam mechanism will engage said pawl and said dog in sequence upon the operation of said operating means to control the movement of the lifting element in. the reverse direction.

8. In a lifting device, the combination with a lifting element embodying a rack, a gear train embodying a pinion meshing with said rack, a ratchet for imparting motion to said gear train, an operating element, a pawl carried thereby, and adapted to engage said ratchet to positively operate said lifting element in one direction, a dog adapted to engage said ratchet and control the operation of said lifting element in such direction, a cam lever having a plurality of cam surfaces adapted to be effective on said pawl and said dog, and means for functioning said cam lever, whereby said operating element will actuate the same to cause said cam surfaces to sequentially engage with said dog and said pawl and control the movement of the lifting element in the reverse direction.

9. In a lifting device, the combination of a lifting element having a rack, actuating mechanism arranged for cobperation of said lifting" of said actuating lever Mill ing a pawl arranged to positively engage a aee eee with a portion of said actuating mechanism trol said means and said pawl to efiect the 10 to function the same to raise the lifting lowerin of the liftin element.

element, means operable independent]. of In witness whereof have hereunto set said actuatin mechanism for centre mg my hand in the'presence of two subscribin 5 the raising 0 the lifting element and cam witnesses,

mechanism inoperative during the lifting LOUIS MASTRANf movement, arranged for engagement with Witnesses: said means and said pawl and functioned llsAnonn Bnnns'rnm, by said operating element to positively cen- WM. C. DUNN. 

